I am travelling to India to see first-hand how the Work of WaterAid transforms the lives of some of the world's poorest communities by providing them with access to clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene education.

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Had a brilliant talk last night on the amazing Wildflower meadows of the Elan Valley. Over 50 attended from the Builth Wells gardening club. A donation was made to WaterAid and it was an exceptionally good night. Thank you!

Arrived home - the dogs (all 8 of them) happily ran towards the car as I arrived up the bumpy track to home, their greeting obvious in the wag of their tails. My three important persons were silhouetted in the homely glow at the doorstep. I waded through dogs and rushed up the path and had to halt for a second as the party popper pulling session commenced. Then it was scooping up of delightful children and hugging wonderful husband. Who had looked after farm and family in my absence and therefore in my view adding to his contribution to WaterAid.

The garland over the Rayburn made by the kids!

A banner of paper hearts was strung across the mantle and I was handed cards and pictures plenty. On the table lay a feast of moon cake, Swiss roll, chocolate muffins, ringed biscuits, jelly, ham sandwiches and iced digestive biscuits. With a bunch of daffodils taking center stage on the table.

then I followed a small treasure hunt of hearts through the house. ...... including a poem from my 8 year old son..........

I followed some clues up the stairs and found my treasure box (ice cream tub). Filled with my bangle, a pill box (found on a rubbish skip), and a white teddy with I love you embroidered across its breast (found in the air ambulance shop). Then there were lots of cuddles before bed, a quick party with musical dancing statues and all rest. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Back to the UK after 9 hour flight and small delay. Here I am sitting and waiting for my natioanl Express coach. My pew is an aluminium bench in the 1 degree temperature and my bottom is numb (my nanny would not be happy at this :-D). But i think i shall move in case i do end up with the piles she always predicts about when on cold places to perch. Back here in London Heathrow I have time to watch the world pass by. The bright glistening saris replaced by black jackets, black matching hand luggage and drabness. I miss the flowing silks, sequins , turbans and bustle. stares of curiosity have been replaced by indifference. I was going to mention the wonderful aroma of my josticks emanating from my bag as a comfort, however alas two seats away a gent in blue jeans, brown shoes and holding onto matching black luggage has lit up a cigarette.

Not long onto coach to remember how beautiful and green Wales really is.

Saturday, 23 February 2013

I went into the slum known as Shiv Nagar..... I really was well prepared for the shanties and the litter and dirty small children running around. I felt strong that I could cope. A life of farming and surveying wildlife ensures that I am used to mucky situations and studying wildlife droppings is a part of my area in mammal recording. I saw the site a barren flat waste ground strewn with litter with boar and dogs scavenging the grounds. We were taken to the home of Sakun Soni......... who was in his 60s and his wife ...Ramesh in her 50s their 16 -18 year old daughter Rajani (in some places the ages are not known especially if surviving day by day) ... was there also getting ready for school, once she had collected water from the tap outside. Which is only on for 2 hours a day so the days water needs to be collected.

Sakun had a bandage tied around his head and seemed a little frail. I looked into his milky coloured eyes ...... and felt the cost of his suffering. He had brought up 4 children 3 daughters and a son. They lost one young daughter to a water borne disease also years before. 2 daughters have been married. The son works in a flour mill which is contract work unusual in the slum as most employment is usually a daily struggle.

It turned out that three days before our visit the electricity had gone off and Sakun had fallen in the dark and woke in a pool of blood and had managed to get some help from someone nearby who got him to the hospital.

We discussed many more issues and then I was outside and asked what was "I feeling in the slums". I tried to talk but I could feel the emotion rising within me and the tears flowed from my eyes. I couldn't get away the glimpse at a small boy no older than 4 (just a bit younger than my daughter) squatting down in the wasteland of litter and human excrement surrounded by foraging boar and dogs. I knew many children had been bitten by snakes and died and children and women were prayed upon by men. The lack of privacy, dignity and safety was hitting me hard here. And after spending the day with the school yesterday I was reminded of the vulnerability of India's children. I thank God I have seen the good work that WaterAid and partners are doing to make the future safer for them..

The other thing I learned today was just what the partnership organisations do with WaterAid as sitting with the staff in the house it was plane to see how much they were connected with the people and just much work had been done to get to this stage. They help the people to get access to their rights and they move the government to take responsibility. ....

Which reminds me that there were diggers present cleaning out the ditches of waste. Word had got to the government department we were on site. ...the ditches are not cleaned as regular as should be! So at least in a small way our presence made a difference that day for the slum.

Afternoon at Arjun Nagar Slum

Welcomed by singing and drums x

This slum has 400 houses and has been in existence for 30 years (this morning there were 300 households and the slum was 40 years old), most residents are from scheduled caste and schedule tribes. And it was a relief after this morning to see how a community with the help of WaterAid and Partner Organisations could lift a community and have it motivated and working sustainability together. You will be pleased to hear that every household has a toilet now and there is even a road. Health has greatly improved and the children are safer indoor. It is at the moment the only open defecation free slum! And has been sustaining itself for 3 years. the government are looking now to build houses in place of the dwellings currently there.

Meeting the lovely Asha and her husband Shibai was a real honor and enlightening experience. they have a son and daughter who are both at school and they proudly showed us the trophy `s won by the son Rahul. they are proud of both their children and hope they will continue with their education. Now there is a toilet in the school it is more girl friendly and girls are continuing whereas before they dropped out around puberty.

the community has its own committee to which the householders pay 20 rupees a month for the maintenance and water quality checks of the water points and to improve the community overall such as plans to build a play park hospital or community hall. People are free to dream and plan now , in fact this slum has a 5 year plan in place and even visits surrounding neighboring slums to share the fact that they too can be the same.
The community corporator was elected in the ward and is responsible for 6 slums (blue Sari), she really understands the issues and it was clearly visible the respect and love the people had for her. If there is a wedding or a birth she is always invited. The corporator we saw this morning in Shiv Nagar on reflection did not have this rapport and this may help to contribute to that feeling of despair.

Children are spending less time collecting money now so there is more time to study - and well just be children :-) Now that Asha has a toilet and it made us chuckle when she told us once she had a toilet she could go out and buy a telly. There was now status to her household.

Friday, 22 February 2013

Padli village school was our Thursday afternoon visit and it was so good to see that small children can really make a big difference to the implementation of change. The village has 131 houses and the population is 950. Mainly dependent on agriculture. Before intervention the sanitation situation was not very encouraging.

The school children played an important part in the drive for cleanliness. They had morning rallies (which is the time most defecation occurs) having outdoor games at morning and even blowing whistles when seeing someone going to the toilet outside. With these children going home and campaigning for toilets in the home this was again raising the awareness. At school they were shown how to wash hands and keep clean.

There is almost 100% sanitation coverage with most houses having a toilet with only a few still being constructed.

Our welcome was lovely as always in India. We all received out mark on the forehead and a rose. A different child delivered to each supporter the rose and they told us about the committee they were on.

A group and the principal escorted us around the classrooms. The principal was so pleased that you can now open the windows as the smell was so bad it put the children off study and lunch. The children were so proud of the work that they had done and happily showed off pictures and posters. We studied the solar system and they told me pluto was no longer classed as a planet. Studying the same as my little boy last term.

I took a moment to show them photos on my own phone of things they had drawn such as trees, livestock, rainbows and wildlife. As well as the snow, sunsets and my family. The school has a conservation committee and they told me that they had planted trees around the school to make it nicer now the grounds were free from human waste we wouldn't be able to sit on the rugs we were welcomed onto the mess was that bad.

The kids played games after and there was much shaking hands thumbs up and photos on way back to minibus.

A coconut, a rose but my most memorable gift was when 13 year old Priyanka ( one of the girls who spent the afternoon with us) asked if she could give just one kiss. I nodded wide eyed and she planted a sweet kiss on my cheek on that bonds a memory for life. I held her little hand and muttered words of all sorts of thanks and well wishes. In my heart i was pushing a 1000 prayers that she would grow up happy and safe. One that the Samaratans, WaterAid and the community have already proceeded to create. Work to ensure this little girl and her friends have the simple possibility to study safely and healthy. I think I may plant a tree at home to watch grow and flourish just like this community.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

Amrod Village - Madhya pradesh
A wonderful welcome in the lovely tranquil farming village of Amrod. We had a coconut presented to each WaterAid supporter which was a symbol of "warmth and love to you". There is a total of 84 families (570 people) in its village and water is seasonal and scarce. Open defecation was practiced by its villagers.

Villagers were met in the outset in evenings away from the main time villagers were out on farm work. In Sept 2012 a plan was put together with input from whole community. ...children, women, minority groups etc. Because the fields are full of crops the space was limited and people were using roadsides to go to the loo. Womens safety was an issue after an incident occurred to a young girl. The community decided it would be 100% open defecation free. And it looks like by the end of next month that will be done. It has only 9 loos to go! And the community are so enthused they are taking their message out to surrounding villages.

Amar singh decided was the first not to wait for the government but to build his own latrine as he was in fear of his wife's safety when going out. The others have followed on inspired by his initiative and example. Amar told me there was probably 4 or 5 children under the age of 5 that died each year and that was due to the sanitation issues mostly. The government and the villagers are now working towards a piped water supply. The village now has a 5 year plan..... it dreams and works towards a safe future.

This child is the same age as my daughter. She watches her father as he builds her a safer cleaner future. - The New Toilet

I watched a good man today move bricks and build up the layers into the wall of his new latrine. The pits had already been dug and this was the next stage. It takes about 8 days to dig the whole latrine and construct the brickwork. He worked hard as his two beautiful daughter's watched on, the eldest sometimes passing him a brick. He is doing this for them to ensure his family can go to the toilet in safety and it is much more hygienic.

We were I invited into their house and given a bed to sit on whilst we asked a few questions more. His wife was so elegant, loving and kind. In her home surrounded by her warmth and kindly manner it struck me with a defensive slap to the face how I didn't want this lovely sweet natured lady with her daughters to be on a roadside for life's necessities. So you can imagine how reassured I felt to see her dignity and security being restored through simple bricks and mortar. Having myself the opportunity to dig some of the pits and add in some bricks of my own and thus have some small part in rebuilding their "future" was most gratifying. I can leave in the knowledge that many more hand prints can be added by future generations on the wall - That all the children will grow up to see their own children's hand prints adorn the wall of this house.

This little girl sits on the family bed also called a cot

Now the people of this Village spread the word to other communities "You can have this".

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Wow what a road we travelled today...in both senses. The physical road we travelled was bumpy and the traffic rules in India well I haven't quite worked that one out. The people I am visiting have a road to travel or have travelled along so far and the foundations need to be strong to build upon. The foundation I speak of is that of "community engagement" because projects can only succeed when the community are involved and there is a long term sustainable plan created on the outset of projects to ensure they continue with the good work initially done. What I mean by this Is what I have seen by the formation of community groups taking responsibility in their own water supply issues, sanitation issues, health issues and by training up villagers to educate and maintain the pumps/latrines etc.I got out of the mini bus in the village of Jonhar. With my feet placed gently onto the solid earth and once my bones stopped jiggling on their tendons on the post bumpy journey I was able to follow my other WaterAid supporters into the village meeting place...... under a tree (a familiar place for a Countryside Ranger from the Elan Valley to be) with large rocks in the landscape and some rather interesting historical features ( forts and palaces rather than Dams siloheted on the horizon). I will stop waffling now :-).Of course we received a lavish welcome. We took up our places under the tree with the beat of the drums to see us to our places.

We met with the womens group and heard from them the issues around water and sanitation from their point of view. Some factors they felt were some whrre old and had sore joints to walk the Kilometre and back 5 times a day (rhambiti). Young girls carry water (Indra -mother). Krishna is 12 and has to get up before school to collect water. Watering livestock is done....the day is spent in water collection. Water is not covered and there is rubbish families get very sick. 100% of community defecate in the open. Young girls are afraid at night to go out into areas to toilet. Mum usally accompanies them. This is a farming community with 1157 people. Sanitation issues need to be implemented. There is very little hygiene awareness and the community is considered vulnerable. I had an opportunity to draw water from the open well. I felt for the young girls who carried these heavy urns on their heads to and from their homes. I enjoyed showing the children pictures of our livestock, snow and scenery. I think they enjoyed it as it gathered into quite a crowd!

Our second visit was to Kamhar - a success post WaterAid community and an inspiration to how a little help can start many balls rolling. This village has 624 people and again agriculture and livestick farming is the main employment. They welcomed us with a lush feast of peanuts, freshly harvested peas, sweet biscuits and fruit. Two young girls floated past in their saris bestowing the red paint between our brows and placing a garland of red orange yellow and white flowers around our necks. I was informed this red mark means destiny. This village was once in the same situation as the first village. The community was supported by WaterAid which involved addressing water and sanitation issues through engaging the community and capacity building. They are now rain water harvesting, have a piped supply of water, latrines in 70% of the houses, there are childrens rallys on hand washing, have trained mechanics to deal with provisions, the community dug drains and even have a check Dam. All open wells have been covered. Money provided by each household pays the salary of the attendants and extra will be invested in setting up buisness' such as basket making and recycling clothes and materials.
So final thought....... we have the red paint for our destiny however these people have created thier own destiny which has then provided them with dreams and hopes. We all have a part to play in making our futures.

Saturday, 9 February 2013

Phew.... Last items are about packed.... things have been in and out of my ruck sack........ my mind has been a constant chatter of "Do I need it?- What would I do without this? - Maybe a few less of this - Maybe a few more of those - Wheres that passport gone now? - there it is how did it get there? - How on earth can one small 60Lt ruck sack take about 2 hours of organising?! But like I said its about ready to go..... Am I? Well the excitement is paramount at this stage............ A feeling of responsibility and nerves has eased into the mix...... But its LETS DO THIS!

I have had my trip layout provided read and re-read the details.I will be flying from Heathrow on the 16th Feb into New Delhi. Getting on a train to Gwalior, spending a few days there. Back on the train and into Bhopal to spend another few days before flying back to New Delhi. Spending a little time here and then back home to my life in Wales.

I will be expected to meet with communities to find
out what life is like without safe water and sanitation and visit the WaterAid
projects in both urban slums and rural villages to see how the money raised by
Welsh Water employees and customers is making a difference. India has a population of over one billion and diseases are common
throughout the country due to contaminated drinking water sources and poor
sanitation. WaterAid estimates that only 31% of the population has adequate
sanitation and 320,000 children under five die every year as a result of
this.

As part of the trip, to the Madhya Pradesh
region of India, I will have opportunity to spend time with a local family living without
clean water and sanitation, learning first-hand about the challenges they face
without access to these vital resources. I look forward to meeting children from local
schools, sit in on hygiene education sessions, take part in some construction
work and learn how access to clean water and sanitation has helped transform
people’s lives.

As a mother myself, I find it very sad and shocking
that 2,000 children die every day from diseases caused by dirty water and poor
sanitation. Clean water is something we take for granted in the UK, but some
people have no choice but to drink dirty water that could make them ill, or
worse. I feel seeing the impact of the awful truth in the field will be a hard fact to deal with emotionally!?

A Picture I took just today - under the Bridge - where water is plenty!

Nant Gwyllt Elan Valley

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water is actively involved
in a wide range of fundraising activities every year. In the past eight years
staff have raised over £840,000. The company has also supported WaterAid
through the annual customer appeal. Since it was launched in 1993, customers
have given over £3.5 million – enough to help over 450,000 people gain access
to safe, clean water and sanitation.

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Right that is it... my last item sorted before my departing of this green and pleasant land....with a little bit of rain ;-).... I have been to the nurse today and received my malaria tablets. I was told there where currently issues in Bhopal so I was advised to get a prescription rather than over the counter tablets. I have my anti bug bracelets and net and spray all packed....... mosi avoidance all the way!

Sunday, 3 February 2013

OMG it is 2 weeks yesterday in which I will be flying out to India with the WaterAid team....... by this time now in two weeks I will have stepped off the plane and looked straight into the heart of my first Indian sunrise..... "I will be waking up with India"..... I love the sound of those words.It seems so much more real this week..... there was an article printed in the local paper about the trip which I discovered when I went down for my lunch at the Elan Valley Visitor Centre - I was told all about my upcoming trip which was transmitted to me by visitors having seen the newspaper. A great part of my dinner was then spent chomping in between the telling of our regular visitors/friends all about what was planned for my upcoming trip to India. Later an errand into the local town of Rhayader for some equipment and tools saw me relaying my impending travels to the friendly faces I met and also receiving many good luck remarks along my way. With each and every well wish granted my tummy increasingly took a flip of excitement - so you can imagine what state it must be in now as a write this!I had an e-mail from a work colleague this week who was fortunate to go on the WaterAid trip a few years back to wish me luck and some wise words of advice which were;- to keep a diary as there is so much going on your brain can become fuddled and to bring some small bottles of hand gel with me..... And I am feeling less guilty about picking up all that Imodium now too :-) I'm not alone with belly ache worries..... and on that matter I have received very much guidance and advice which I won`t offer up right now..... I am off to see the nurse this week to sort out the malaria tablets.....The Elan Valley Visitor Centre located in front of Caban Coch Dam - with up to 200,000 Visitors a year who come to see the Dams and the scenic area in which they are set. Many stop by to visit the cafe, shop, exhibition and have ample opportunity to learn all about the Elan Valley. for more information - http://www.elanvalley.org.uk

About Me

Having worked for most of my employed life as a Ranger/Head Ranger here in the beautiful Elan Valley in Mid-Wales, I have found myself entwined in this landscape, in all its wildlife, history, scenery, people and farming. I left my full time post to continue with the things that matter and to farm in the Heart of the Elan Valley and further my creative connection with this wondrous place.The Elan Valley Catchment is 72 square miles of spectacular beauty and abundant wildlife and is known for its series of stunning Victorian built Dams.
I support the charity WaterAid who aims to improve Water provision to communities in 27 countries. I was most privileged to be a supporter on a visit to India in 2012.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it.
- Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Freedom is everything.